Plan made to benefit from CPEC: minister

LAHORE

Provincial Minister for Irrigation and PIDA Chairman Amanat Ullah Shadikhel has said that a comprehensive strategy is being designed to take maximum benefits from the CPEC project, adding that the farmer community would also be beneficiary of the government efforts on sustainable basis.

He said this while presiding over a meeting of the working group on energy and irrigation at his office on Thursday. The meeting discussed and reviewed different policy options to take benefit from the western route of the CPEC project passing through Punjab.

The meeting was briefed that Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif had constituted six different working groups to formulate professional recommendations with regard to western route of CPEC passing along Attock, Chakwal and Mianwali in Punjab. The policy recommendations would also guide the Punjab government about the development plan relating to CPEC project.

The minister was told that the Irrigation Department had designed different projects, including Marri Dam at a cost of Rs 1500 million and Gangawal Dam at a cost of Rs 1200 million in Attock. Similarly, Rs 2000 million project of Photohar Climate Smart Irrigation, Agriculture Programme has also been proposed. On the other side, different development projects costing Rs 8,800 million for improving irrigation infrastructure in Mianwali have also been proposed. Alongside, Kas Umer Khan Canal system at a cost of Rs 5000 million has also been proposed to the government, the meeting was told.

Energy Secretary Dr Asad Gillani said that projects of energy production from small dams in Photohar region would also be designed under CPEC project. Similarly, solar and coal energy projects on the rightside of CPEC route and development of power plant projects on non-perennial canals, hill-torrents and other irrigation infrastructure are also planned and further action would be taken in the light of technical reports.